Monsta X

South Korean hip-hop boy band Monsta X was formed in 2015 on the reality television competition NO.MERCY. The septet is composed of leader/vocalist/dancer Shownu, vocalist/dancer Wonho, vocalist Minhyuk Lee, vocalist Ki-hyun Yoo, vocalist/dancer Hyungwon Chae, rapper Jooheon Lee, and rapper I.M. On NO.MERCY, the group performed covers of songs by Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, Jay Park, and others. They released their early singles — "0 (Young)" and "Interstellar" — during the show's run. Their debut EP, Trespass, arrived in 2015 and peaked at number five on the Korean charts. The Rush EP followed months later, pushing Monsta X to number three. In 2016, they released a pair of mini-albums, The Clan, Pt. 1: Lost and Pt. 2: Guilty. The EPs became their first to break into the Billboard World Albums chart, at number five and three respectively. The third Clan installment was issued in early 2017. Titled Pt. 2.5: The Final Chapter (and later re-released as Shine Forever), it topped the Billboard World Albums chart and rose to the number two spot on the Korean chart. That year, Monsta X made their debut in the Japanese-language market with "Hero" and issued their fifth EP, The Code. ~ Neil Z. Yeung